The greatest WordPress.com site in all the land!

Menu

SCCY Industries CPX-2 9MM Hand Gun

SCCY Industries CPX 2 (Gen 2) 9mm, $299
Very few guns retail for less than $300, so we first had to wonder if this was really a cheaply made gun or if the price was the result of proven methods and
materials, unencumbered by expensive research and development. We think the latter.Some may refer to this pistol as a variation on the
Kel-Tec design, and like the Kel-Tec pistols, the CPX-2 is made in Florida. But the SCCY Industries CPX-2 is a second-generation pistol intended to be an improvement over an earlier version (the CP-2). The CPX-2 varies from the CPX-1 in that the former does not have a thumb safety. Instead, this polymer-framed hammerignition pistol relies on a long stroke with moderately heavy trigger pull to defend against accidental discharge. The CPX-2 seemed to deliver more than advertised.
We were able to fit and fire 11 rounds from each of the 10-round magazines, which offered a finger-groove basepad to finish the grip profile. Two flat basepads that enhanced concealability without reducing capacity were also supplied. We found the grip comfortable not only because of the “recoil cushion” of the ventilated
backstrap but because the grip was reasonably slender and square. The front strap offered finger grooves, and the remaining sides were covered with a knurled pattern. The magazine release was big and square. The slide release was oversized, consisting of a metal tab with polymer overlay. The slide had stylish rear cocking serrations and three-dot sights. The rear unit was windage-adjustable by drift, and there was a locking screw to secure its position.Removing the top end began with clearing the magazine and the chamber. With the slide locked back, the disassembly pin was aligned with the takedown notch. The owner’s manual recommends prying it loose with a flathead screwdriver.

Our first concern was not to mar the slide’s finish, but we found we could pry it out with a thumbnail. The disassembly pin also served to anchor the loop-style barrel link very similar to the one found in the Kimber Solo. We weren’t sure how comfortable we were with the disassembly pin/barrel link pin being so easily removed. But since the pin sat flush with the frame, it wasn’t likely to be accidentally bumped out of place. We did not experience any malfunction that could attributed to this component. The only tricky part of reassembling either of our pistols was making sure the slidestop/disassembly pin was properly threaded through the barrel link. Recoil was controlled by a steel guide rod with two coil springs captured over its length.

The top end was connected with the polymer grip frame by a 7075-T6 aircraft-grade heat-treated aluminum-alloy receiver topped with continuous-length rails measuring about 3.3 inches long beneath the 5.3-inch long slide. The firing pin was deeply recessed from the rear of the slide. learned that it took more concentration to stabilize the gun over the course of the trigger press. First shots elapsed time ranged between 0.98 seconds to 1.02 seconds. Total elapsed time also registered inside a narrow range of 2.34 seconds to 2.46 seconds. The score on the lower portion of the target read eight A’s and two C’s.

The head area registered one A, three B’s, and one miss. There were no malfunctions. We decided to try the action test again, this time holding the CPX-2 in two hands. First shots immediately dropped to about 0.90 seconds. Overall times dropped to an average of about 2.09 seconds, but we suspended the two-handed testing when the gun began to lock back prematurely. We tried alternate holds and found twohanded shooting was less reliable unless we made an effort to hold our support far away from the slide latch.We ultimately determined that the slide latch was vulnerable to being activated by incidental contact for two reasons. First, the detent spring that kept the latch
in its down position was very light. Second, the latch was just too bulky and easily hit. We’d recommend a heavier detent spring.

But it might be enough to simply remove the polymer overlay on the slide stop and leave just the bare metal tab underneath. Our Team Said: The CPX-2 may still be a work in progress, but with two or three simple modifications, it could easily be the bargain of the year. Ten, or rather 11, plus one firepower in a small, lightweight package that retails for less than $300 sounds good to us!